Testing Your Security System: A How-To Guide

Has it been a while since you’ve last set off your alarm? Unsure if your security system is still communicating? Follow these simple steps in order to test your system yourself.

-Make sure you know your password. The central station will be calling and asking for it once your alarm goes off. If you don’t have it when they call, the police will be dispatched!

-Set your alarm to stay, away, or instant

-Open a zone to intentionally set off the alarm. If you open a window, the siren will immediately go off. If you open a door after arming to stay or away, the siren will go off after the entry/exit delay of 30-60 seconds has expired. Any zone opened while the alarm is set to instant will immediately set off the siren. Once you hear the siren, let it go off for at least 15 seconds.

-Disarm your system by entering the code

If your system is communicating, you should receive a phone call from the central station within 1-2 minutes. Give them your password and inform them that you were just testing the system.

Be aware that Legacy, our central station, will always call from an 800 number. Many people avoid answering phone calls with an 800 area code, but this is one number you’ll want to add to your contacts.

To avoid any possibility of police dispatch, call into our office during normal business hours to obtain assistance. We will call the central station to place your account on test, and then walk you through the steps listed above. We will determine if your alarm is communicating by looking for alarm signals on your Legacy account.